Page 24 of Petrichor

I grunt and give him my back, eyes on the peaceful view. It has stopped raining, and the sun is shining.

A long moan coming from the kitchen makes me sigh. “It’s like an angel crying on my tongue,” Fly mumbles with his mouth full. “Who needs dicks anymore?”

I shake my head when I feel my lips twitching. I keep my back to him as I say, “Thought you said you’d shut up.”

I turn my head toward him when I hear his next words. “Thanks for…yesterday.”

His eyes flicker around like he’s pondering what to say next. For the first time, he looks uncomfortable, holding the marble counter with both hands in a tight grip. His meek act bothers me. Looking all prey-like under my malicious gaze. He needs to open his eyes wider and see me for who I am, a mobster. Not his fucking chef.

“Don’t let it happen again,” I hiss, trying to forget how broken he looked. “I won’t open the door next time.”

He silently nods and goes back to eating while I send a text to Luca. This situation is making me uneasy. I don’t like people disrupting my fucking routine and invading my private space. And Fly has done it twice already.

When I finish my cigarette, he is done with the food, too. He places the container in the sink.

“The money in the envelope isn’t even a third of what you owe me.The dry cleaner couldn’t remove the stain, and you ruined my favorite shirt.” I point at the one he’s wearing.

“How much?”

“Still owe me three thousand,” I state. My tailored suits and cotton shirts are expensive, the fabrics are imported directly from Italy.

He fidgets, looking nervous. “I’m a bit short at the moment. But I have a proposition for you. I’ll put some clothes on, and we can talk about it over some ice cream.”

I grit my teeth. “I don’t?—”

He cuts me off, already backing toward the corridor. “There’s a gelato place a block from here. I saw it when I drove you home the other night. We can go there. Only five minutes. Ten tops.”

I feel the irritation rising, but maybe I can use that time to get something out of Fly about why he’s in New York and if he knows anyone else from the Enzino family. Seb asked us to do it discreetly. Not to arouse suspicion. Fuck! “Hurry up! I have things to do.”

His eyes fill with enthusiasm as he half turns—too quickly. He stops for a second, holding his side. The sharp movement must have pulled at his rib injury, but he still hurries away leaving me sighing. He’s either insane or very stupid. Could it be that he doesn’t realize who he’s dealing with? Seems unlikely. The painful grimace I caught on his face is the only reason why I’m not reminding him right now. I’m afraid I’ll kill him if I do. A memory of his mouth stretched around my cock makes me run a hand through my hair.

Why the fuck am I still thinking about it?

I open the door and go talk to Carlo and Jo standing outside on the landing. I tell them the morning plans before going inside the penthouse again.

I grab my phone as it starts ringing.

“Jack Enzino just called me,” Seb’s too-calm voice reaches my ear.

“What does the reptile want?” I look toward the corridor. No trace of Fly yet.

“A chat. Someone left three of his men half dead last night in Harlem. Weren’t you there yesterday?”

He knows I was since I sent him that picture. “Since when does Jack Enzino care about his lowly soldiers?” I grab the unlit cigarette that I left in the ashtray yesterday and glance around for the lighter.“Has he got any proof it was us?”

“Nothing concrete, I believe. But you should tread lightly.”

“Should I expect retaliation for breaking their bones?” I sniff, pushing a cloud of smoke out of my nostrils.

“He was just testing me. Checking my reaction. Trying to make me reveal something.” Seb barely expresses his emotions to us, the closest people to him, he’d never do it with Jack Enzino. “Getting Coretti’s company is too important to him. He needs to lie low until the ink on the contract is dry, not a minute later.”

“Laterhe’ll try to destroy us while reigning from his high throne alone.” Expanding his territory, the damn cockroach. “But are we even sure a wedding will happen? Nobody seems to know anything about it.” I fucking hate all these devious, in-the-dark schemes. Give me some crystal-clear, face-on fight any day instead.

“Coretti took my rejection as a personal insult. His pride has always been a damaging flaw. Father exploited that weakness in the past, and we’ll do it too, somehow.” Seb sounds so collected, like this whole situation isn’t affecting him whatsoever. But I know it does. I know it fucking enrages him when things don’t go his way. “Organized crime all boils down to turfs. Enzino and Corettistaying out of our turf is always our first concern.” Before I can question him more he adds, “Why did you do it?”

“Do what?” I stub the cig out as I make my way back into the living room. Is he talking about the pummeling I gave to Jerry and his men?

Silence meets my question. Seb can be incredibly frustrating. “I actually called you to tell you what I found out about Mr. Locke so far.”

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